Match Preview
Fulham vrs Swansea City
Championship Match Day 35 19/20 at Craven Cottage
Wednesday 26th February 2020 KO: 19:45
Referee:
Tim Robinson (West Sussex)
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Fulham play host to Swansea City on Wednesday night having failed to win of their last three fixtures in the Championship.
As for the visitors, they travel to Craven Cottage having put together a three-match unbeaten streak at the second tier, keeping the club in contention for the playoffs.
While Scott Parker was content with a comeback draw at Derby County on Friday night, the stalemate marked another game where Fulham had failed to keep the pressure on the top two.
Although the Cottagers remain in third position, there is now a five-point gap to Leeds, while only four points separate the club and seventh-placed Bristol City ahead of the fixtures in midweek.
Despite back-to-back home encounters potentially help the West Londoners' cause, they face a succession of matches against teams competing for promotion - fixtures which may ultimately decide their fate come the end of the season.
Only Aleksandar Mitrovic has managed to get himself on the scoresheet in recent contests, and the Serbia international will again be under pressure to continue his excellent scoring record on Wednesday.
Swansea had been on a winless streak of their own until Saturday, when they ended a five-match wait courtesy of a 3-1 triumph at home to Huddersfield Town.
Nevertheless, while they now sit in ninth spot, Steve Cooper's team are far from the outfit which impressed during the opening months of the campaign.
Just one clean sheet has been kept in seven matches - against out-of-form Queens Park Rangers - with a total of 12 goals being shipped during that period.
However, the return of youngster Ben Cabango made a considerable difference at the weekend as the 19-year-old rekindled his partnership with Joe Rodon.
From an attacking perspective, Cooper would have been delighted to see Andre Ayew get back on the scoresheet in the same game, bringing an end to a five-match drought.
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Fulham are looking to complete a league double over Swansea for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
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Swansea have won their last three away league matches against Fulham, though these wins all came in the Premier League between March 2012 and November 2013.
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Fulham are currently winless in three league games since beating Blackburn earlier this month (D2 L1), last enduring a longer wait for a win back in September (run of four).
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Aleksandar Mitrovic - the Championship's top goalscorer this season with 22 goals - has netted each of Fulham's last four league goals with Joe Bryan assisting three of those. In fact, Byran has assisted Mitrovic six times this season, more than any player has assisted another in the competition in 2019-20.
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Fulham has won 60% of their last 20 home league games.
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Of the 12 league games Fulham has won at home, they scored first 11 times.
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Only Bristol City (5) have won more away Championship games in London since the beginning of last season than Swansea City (4), though they lost their last such match at Brentford in December.
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The last time Swansea won away in the league was 6 games ago against Luton. The last time Fulham lost a home league game was 1 matches ago against Barnsley.